Dynamic bandwidth expansion

Abstract

This disclosure provides methods, components, devices and systems for dynamic bandwidth expansion. Some aspects more specifically relate to one or more configuration- or signaling-based mechanisms according to which various wireless communication devices, such as access points (APs) or stations (STAs), may communicate via an expanded bandwidth. For example, a total available bandwidth may be divided into different wireless channels, with each wireless channel being associated with a respective basic service set (BSS) of a respective AP. A wireless communication device may establish a communication link associated with a first wireless channel (the first wireless channel being associated with a BSS bandwidth of the wireless communication device) and, in accordance with one or more criteria, may communicate via a bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and one or more other wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wireless communication device, comprising:
 a processing system that includes processor circuitry and memory circuitry that stores code, the processing system configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 establish a wireless communication link associated with a first wireless channel, wherein the first wireless channel is associated with a basic service set (BSS) bandwidth of the wireless communication device; 
 communicate information indicative of at least one time period, wherein the at least one time period is associated with communication via an expanded bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth; and 
 communicate, during a time period of the at least one time period, via a bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and at least one of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth. 
   
     
     
         2 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 communicate an indication of an activation or a deactivation of a mode of operation associated with the expanded bandwidth.   
     
     
         3 . The wireless communication device of  claim 2 , wherein the indication of the activation or the deactivation of the mode of operation associated with the expanded bandwidth is comprised within a management frame. 
     
     
         4 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 communicate a frame that includes a first field and a second field, wherein the first field includes an indication of the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the second field includes an indication of the expanded bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel and the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth, wherein communicating during the time period and via the bandwidth is in accordance with the second field indicating the expanded bandwidth.   
     
     
         5 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 communicate information indicative of a set of one or more access categories associated with the expanded bandwidth, wherein the expanded bandwidth is restricted to being exclusively available for the set of one or more access categories.   
     
     
         6 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein, to communicate the information indicative of the at least one time period, the processing system is configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 communicate information indicative of a restricted target wake time schedule associated with a plurality of service periods, wherein the at least one time period includes the plurality of service periods, and wherein the plurality of service periods is protected for the communication via the expanded bandwidth.   
     
     
         7 . The wireless communication device of  claim 6 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 communicate one or more frames as part of a negotiation of the restricted target wake time schedule with one or more wireless communication devices, wherein the one or more wireless communication devices are associated with BSS bandwidths including the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth of the wireless communication device.   
     
     
         8 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein one or more wireless communication devices are associated with BSS bandwidths including the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth of the wireless communication device, and wherein:
 a second wireless communication device of the one or more wireless communication devices is associated with a second BSS bandwidth including a second wireless channel of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth of the wireless communication device, and   a third wireless communication device of the one or more wireless communication devices is associated with a third BSS bandwidth including a third wireless channel of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth of the wireless communication device.   
     
     
         9 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein, to communicate the information indicative of the at least one time period, the processing system is configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 communicate a first control frame that includes an indication of the bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the at least one of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth, wherein communication of the first control frame is associated with a start of the time period; and   communicate a second control frame that includes an indication of the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth, wherein communication of the second control frame is associated with an end of the time period.   
     
     
         10 . The wireless communication device of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the first control frame is associated with a first transmission bandwidth that includes the bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the at least one of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth, and   the second control frame is associated with a second transmission bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth.   
     
     
         11 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one time period consists of a single dynamic time period. 
     
     
         12 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 start a random backoff counter associated with the first wireless channel at a beginning of the time period; and   sense a primary subchannel of the first wireless channel for a time duration associated with the random backoff counter, wherein communicating during the time period is in accordance with the random backoff counter reaching a zero value in association with sensing the primary subchannel.   
     
     
         13 . The wireless communication device of  claim 12 , wherein the information indicative of the at least one time period further indicates that any wireless communication device capable of the communication via the expanded bandwidth is to sense a respective primary subchannel of a respective wireless channel associated with a respective BSS bandwidth of that wireless communication device to obtain channel access during the time period. 
     
     
         14 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 switch, at a beginning of the time period, a primary subchannel of the wireless communication device from a first primary subchannel of the first wireless channel to a second primary subchannel of a second wireless channel, wherein the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth include the second wireless channel;   start a random backoff counter associated with the second wireless channel in association with switching the primary subchannel of the wireless communication device from the first primary subchannel to the second primary subchannel; and   sense the second primary subchannel of the second wireless channel for a time duration associated with the random backoff counter, wherein communicating during the time period is in association with sensing the second primary subchannel as idle when the random backoff counter is a zero value.   
     
     
         15 . The wireless communication device of  claim 14 , wherein the information indicative of the at least one time period further indicates that any wireless communication device capable of the communication via the expanded bandwidth is to sense the second primary subchannel of the second wireless channel to obtain channel access during the time period. 
     
     
         16 . The wireless communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 communicate information indicative of a capability of the wireless communication device to support communication via the expanded bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth, wherein communicating during the time period and via the bandwidth is in accordance with the capability of the wireless communication device.   
     
     
         17 . A wireless communication device, comprising:
 a processing system that includes processor circuitry and memory circuitry that stores code, the processing system configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 establish a wireless communication link associated with a first wireless channel, wherein the first wireless channel is associated with a basic service set (BSS) bandwidth of the wireless communication device; 
 sense a first primary subchannel of the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth using a first energy detection threshold value; 
 sense one or more primary subchannels of one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth using a second energy detection threshold value, wherein the second energy detection threshold value is different than the first energy detection threshold value; and 
 communicate via a bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and at least one of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth in association with sensing the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth using the first energy detection threshold value and sensing the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth using the second energy detection threshold value. 
   
     
     
         18 . The wireless communication device of  claim 17 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 decrement a network allocation vector counter associated with the first wireless channel in association with sensing the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth using the first energy detection threshold value and sensing the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth using the second energy detection threshold value, wherein communicating via the bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the at least one of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth is in association with sensing the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth and at least one of the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth as idle when the network allocation vector counter is a zero value.   
     
     
         19 . The wireless communication device of  claim 17 , wherein, to communicate via the bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the at least one of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth, the processing system is configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 transmit a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) in association with a puncturing of the PPDU, wherein the bandwidth excludes a wireless channel of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth in accordance with the puncturing of the PPDU, and wherein the wireless channel is associated with an energy level value failing to satisfy the second energy detection threshold value at a transmission time.   
     
     
         20 . The wireless communication device of  claim 17 , wherein, to sense the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth, the processing system is configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 sense each subchannel using a respective energy detector of the wireless communication device.   
     
     
         21 . The wireless communication device of  claim 17 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 maintain, in association with sensing the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth, a respective random backoff counter associated with each wireless channel of a set of wireless channels including the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth.   
     
     
         22 . The wireless communication device of  claim 17 , wherein, to sense the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth, the processing system is configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 sense each subchannel of the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and each subchannel of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth using the first energy detection threshold value and the second energy detection threshold value, respectively, wherein communicating via the bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel and the at least one of the one or more wireless channels is in association with sensing each subchannel of the first wireless channel and each subchannel of the one or more wireless channels using the first energy detection threshold value and the second energy detection threshold value, respectively.   
     
     
         23 . The wireless communication device of  claim 17 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 sense the first primary subchannel of the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth using the first energy detection threshold value; and   communicate via a second bandwidth that includes at most the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth in association with sensing the first primary subchannel using the first energy detection threshold value.   
     
     
         24 . The wireless communication device of  claim 17 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to:
 communicate information indicative of a capability of the wireless communication device to support communication via an expanded bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth, wherein sensing the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth is in accordance with the capability of the wireless communication device.   
     
     
         25 . A method for wireless communication by a wireless communication device, comprising:
 establishing a wireless communication link associated with a first wireless channel, wherein the first wireless channel is associated with a basic service set (BSS) bandwidth of the wireless communication device;   communicating information indicative of at least one time period, wherein the at least one time period is associated with communication via an expanded bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth; and   communicating, during a time period of the at least one time period, via a bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and at least one of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 communicating an indication of an activation or a deactivation of a mode of operation associated with the expanded bandwidth.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 communicating a frame that includes a first field and a second field, wherein the first field includes an indication of the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the second field includes an indication of the expanded bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel and the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth, wherein communicating during the time period and via the bandwidth is in accordance with the second field indicating the expanded bandwidth.   
     
     
         28 . A method for wireless communication by a wireless communication device, comprising:
 establishing a wireless communication link associated with a first wireless channel, wherein the first wireless channel is associated with a basic service set (BSS) bandwidth of the wireless communication device;   sensing a first primary subchannel of the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth using a first energy detection threshold value;   sensing one or more primary subchannels of one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth using a second energy detection threshold value, wherein the second energy detection threshold value is different than the first energy detection threshold value; and   communicating via a bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and at least one of the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth in association with sensing the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth using the first energy detection threshold value and sensing the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth using the second energy detection threshold value.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising:
 communicating information indicative of a capability of the wireless communication device to support communication via an expanded bandwidth that includes the first wireless channel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more wireless channels outside of the BSS bandwidth, wherein sensing the first primary subchannel associated with the BSS bandwidth and the one or more primary subchannels outside of the BSS bandwidth is in accordance with the capability of the wireless communication device.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein:
 the information indicative of the capability further indicates that the wireless communication device lacks parallel energy detectors, and   transmission via the expanded bandwidth from the wireless communication device is restricted to trigger-based transmissions in association with the wireless communication device lacking the parallel energy detectors.